The Actual Problem With Dawntrail

[Kennar]

The three true problems of Dawntrail are:

1. The playerbase is media illiterate. That is me being nice. The majority cannot read, cannot understand themes that aren't as simple as grief or hope vs nihilism, cannot understand subtlety and require things to be spoonfed to them (but then they get mad about being spoonfed! Get some media literacy then lol!). They are only capable of surface level reading which is why I have to see absolute dumb takes like "Sphene is just Emet-Selch." This leads to the next issue -

2. A lack of curiousity about the other FF games. Seriously, having knowledge on the other FFs actually enriches FFXIV. But for most, XIV is their first FF and most likely their only FF which is a shame. There's no desire to even do simple read ups. I don't think I would have half liked DT if I didn't have prior knowledge of FF9. And this feeds the silly surface level reads I have to see. "Zoraal Ja is just another Zenos", "they're trying to repeat Amaurot". Face. Palm.

3. The Trust system. They haven't figured out how Trusts must work going forward despite having already solved this problem - generic NPCs. As long as they refuse to let the Scions go, we''re likely to run into these awkward scenarios where the Scions are only there for the sake of DF. To be honest? I'm a little sick of the Scions and would not mind having new faces going forward. I wish the writers would not cling to them like this and actually "retire" them. Maybe have some show up again in future expansions, etc, but please let these characters rest. Their developments are done.

DT is not by any means a flawless expansion, no expansion is. I do believe however the problems are overblown and are more player-made.

A rebuttal:

1. Most us complaining about the story are complaining because we're smart enough to notice the flaws. Those that can't read at a high school level are going to be skipping the story anyway. The awkward pacing, the heavy reliance on convenience and happenstance to move the story along, the lack of spatial and temporal awareness, the awful dialog and complete absence of character development--none of these make for a compelling story, "themes" and "subtlety" be damned.

2. FFIX is one of my favorites in the franchise. That doesn't make DT any better. The story must stand on its own, especially if it's referencing a game made over 20 years ago. This is why I don't like crossovers and tie-ins. The Neir raids are a perfect example in that the story meant nothing to me. The one positive about them is that they sparked some curiosity, so then I played Replicant and Automata and was greatly rewarded. If DT was done right, there would be things for the fans of IX to enjoy, while at the same time not making those who haven't played it feel left out. FFXI is also a favorite, and I'm worried about what the 24-man raids are going to do it.

3: At this point I can take or leave the Scions. I think they're the least of DT's problems. Actually, this could have been a perfect opportunity to bring back some of the lesser-known Scions and give them some of the spotlight.

If you liked Dawntrail, fine. However, I expected more than an episode of the The Magic School Bus. "Gee Ms. Frizzle, I didn't realize running a country would be so hard. Now I know that I can solve centuries of conflict with Taco Night!"